Kota Kinabalu: The State Assembly was informed Monday that the State Government approved a special allocation of RM285 million in January for repairs of four major roads using the cold in-place pavement recycling (CIPR) method.
Most of the roads in the State had exceeded their design lifespan and require more than just routine maintenance and they need full upgrading, Deputy Chief Minister III cum State Works Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya.
He said that ongoing economic growth had increased traffic volume and contributed to road damage, compounded by overloading and weather factors.
“Patching is not a solution for structurally compromised roads. The solution is resurfacing or rehabilitation.”
The four roads are Jalan Nangoh Paitan Kanibongan, Jalan Kanibongan, Jalan Langkon-Pitas and Jalan Sapulut Kalabakan, he said when responding to a question from Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (Warisan-Senallang), who had asked about road and bridge maintenance, the companies appointed for the works, and the progress achieved so far.
The 18-month project commenced in early March and is expected to be completed by the end of August next year.
Shahelmey added that this year, the State and Federal governments had allocated RM450 million and RM675 million, respectively, for road maintenance.
He explained that roads in Sabah are classified into federal and state roads, with federal roads being maintained by a concession company appointed by the Ministry of Works.
For federal roads, one concession company was appointed in 2003 to manage maintenance works throughout Sabah, with its contract extended until 2028.
Meanwhile, another concessionaire appointed in 2004 continues to handle paved road maintenance for state roads, with an extension granted until 2034.
In addition, three companies have been appointed to maintain rural paved roads from June 2023 to June 2028, while 32 contractors are maintaining gravel roads across districts.
One company has also been appointed to upgrade gravel and earth roads to paved roads throughout the State.
Shahelmey said there are three categories of maintenance work - routine, periodic, and emergency - with payments made monthly or progressively based on work completion.
He added that State maintenance funds also cover roads managed by the Drainage and Irrigation Department registered under the Malaysian Road Records Information System (Marris) system.
Regarding project performance, he acknowledged that while it is considered satisfactory, over 2,000 non-conformance reports (NCRs) were issued last year due to the work not meeting the required standards.
“The works were rectified and the NCRs successfully closed. The Public Works Department (PWD) will continue to monitor the performance closely,” he said.
He added that the State Government had also submitted a request to the Federal Government to increase allocations for upgrading ageing Federal Roads in Sabah.
